Hunting gear and Permethrin

[Five Seasons]

19 hours ago, FatBoyD said:

I have never done this before, now feel like a complete bonehead for not thinking of it. I'm going to pick up some Sawyer spray and start using it. With all of the work we have been doing on the new lease these last few weeks, we haven't had any ticks on us. We've been lucky I guess.

i looked for research on sawyers with deer and never found anything conclusive. Just know the stuff has a very strong smell to a human. I hunt in the same gillie suit that I turkey hunt in and spray down in the spring, but I'm leery of it during deer. Now lime disease is no joke and if you have a bunch of ticks in your area, it's probably worth it. But I wouldn't go ahead and just "do it" without understanding that there could be negative consequences as well.

[GR HUNTER]

I wouldn't worry too much about the smell, if any. Everyone should be playing the wind anyway. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I am not using it this year. I am going to run with the rynoskin and see if it really is up to the hype. 

[MPHunter]

2 hours ago, Belo said:

are you ground pounding or treestand hunting though?

Ground blinds and still hunting. I guess if you have a cleared path into your treestand, maybe not as big of a deal later in the season.

[NFA-ADK]

Permethrin is a natural substance found in nature, don't worry about the smell it has very little! 

[Five Seasons]

2 hours ago, GR HUNTER said:

I wouldn't worry too much about the smell, if any. Everyone should be playing the wind anyway. 

that is a personal opinion. play the wind sure, but myself and many others are very conscious of their scent and you wont change my mind that it's ok to disregard it.

43 minutes ago, MPHunter said:

Ground blinds and still hunting. I guess if you have a cleared path into your treestand, maybe not as big of a deal later in the season.

that type of hunting would definitely benefit from some sawyers i agree. 

[Five Seasons]

1 minute ago, NFA-ADK said:

Permethrin is a natural substance found in nature, don't worry about the smell it has very little! 

dude, very little?

and many dont believe in cover scents either, because deer know there isn't an apple or cedar tree nearby and may be weary of it. to each their own though

Edited August 27, 2019 by Belo

[NFA-ADK]

4 minutes ago, Belo said:

dude, very little?

and many dont believe in cover scents either, because deer know there isn't an apple or cedar tree nearby and may be weary of it. to each their own though

Yes VERY little after you spray the clothes!  Don't think you will smell the same as the entire bottle and do not smell it until you have finished spraying and it is dry.  I smoke while on stand and have had some days where over 100 deer are spotted.  Play the wind regardless of how you think you smell or have prepped your clothes. 

[GR HUNTER]

5 minutes ago, Belo said:

that is a personal opinion. play the wind sure, but myself and many others are very conscious of their scent and you wont change my mind that it's ok to disregard it.

 

Of course it's a personal opinion, as are most of the posts on here. Do whatever makes you happy. Or not. 

[Five Seasons]

my point was just this. the stuff isn't oderless and fatboy shouldn't feel like it's a no brainer to use the stuff. There is a scent and there are risks with spraying any chemical, even if it's just on your clothes.

I'll repeat that I use it during turkey and love the stuff, but don't use it for deer. I also don't smoke on stand or even out of the stand. Hunt your way I guess... but I felt compelled to note that some may want to consider the cons to using it. 

[Core]

4 hours ago, Belo said:

i looked for research on sawyers with deer and never found anything conclusive. Just know the stuff has a very strong smell to a human. I hunt in the same gillie suit that I turkey hunt in and spray down in the spring, but I'm leery of it during deer. Now lime disease is no joke and if you have a bunch of ticks in your area, it's probably worth it. But I wouldn't go ahead and just "do it" without understanding that there could be negative consequences as well.

I think it's fine and absolutely worth any risk. The fact you can't find anything about it impacting deer likely means it doesn't--particularly given how many people use it. If in doubt, spray down and leave clothes out for a week to aerate. 

Obviously I cannot say if I've been winded by deer I never saw, but I can say that with one single exception (I still blame it on an all-black shirt against a bare tree), I can not ever think of deer that have walked around my stand (including coming from upwind to down) and ever made me unless I either made a noise or moved.

[DirtTime]

I started using this stuff about 6 years ago. Before that it was just name brand bug spray with a good amount of Deet.

In the time I have been using Sawyers, it was always for 6 weeks, and I treat every 5.

I only treat outer layers, and nothing that will make this stuff contact my skin. I may be one of the few, but I had a reaction then I treated a base layer and then after climbing a mountain and sweating it soaked into my skin leaving a rash. So I still use use some sort of bug spray with at least 30-40% Deet on my exposed skin and first layer when needed.

 

I do treat my hub blinds with it, even thought I rarely use them, it's just piece of mind I guess.

 

Sawyers isn't that expensive, a 12oz bottle at most places ( at least where I buy from ) is only $10. I spend roughly $100 a year to treat my clothes, my wife's clothes, and both blinds. I don't have a lot of cash to just throw around, but this is one investment I am glad to pay.

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by DirtTime

[Five Seasons]

16 hours ago, Core said:

, but I can say that with one single exception (I still blame it on an all-black shirt against a bare tree), I can not ever think of deer that have walked around my stand (including coming from upwind to down) and ever made me unless I either made a noise or moved.

you haven't hunted long enough my friend

[NFA-ADK]

To each his own with smell and protection.  I would rather have a nature smell on me that will prevent other diseases from ticks.  Seeing over 100 deer is proof to me they really don't seem to mind THAT smell.  Honestly if it smelled bad I would probably still use it!  Been hunting LI woods for many years now and have yet to get a single tick on me.  That's right NOT ONE!  I would rather have that protection and peace of mind to know that next year I can do it all over again!  When I was young and stupid I might have done without but lucky for me I was old enough to know better when I finally choose to hunt the tick infested woods of Long Island.